Metal folding bed



1927' w. J. DUVALL METAL FOLDING. BED

3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 1 192-3 H M m w w 1 MN I N s m H uh Q 1,624,222 P" W.'J.'DUVALL METAL FOLDING BED Filed Nov. 1 1923 3-Shoets-Sheet 's LL 54 INVENTOR.

h/m. r/T Duuall.

ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 12, 1927.

UNITED STATES 1,524,222 PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM J'. DUVALL, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO SMITH 8r. DAVIS MFG. 00., OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A COREORATION OF MISSOURI.

METAL FOLDING BED.

Application filed November 15, 1923.

My invent-ion has relation to improvements in folding beds, or, as sometimes called, door or closet beds, and it consists in the novel features of construction more fully set forth in the specification and pointed out in the claim.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a metal bed, the bottom and foot end of which may be swung upwardly to a vertical position to enable the bed to be placed into a closet, if desired, without removing the mattress, means being provided which are wholly carried by the bed bottom for holding the mattress in position on the fabric. A further object is to provide suitable connections between the head end and the foot end of the bed so that the latter will be automatically folded against the bot-tom when said bottom is raised. Further and other advantages will be better apparent from a detailed description of the invention in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved folding bed with parts broken away; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the bed with the bed bottom swung upwardly to a vertical po-' sition; Fig. 3 is an enlarged top plan of the bed with part broken away; Fig. 4 is an enlarged front elevation of the head end of the bed: Fig. 5 is an enlarged front elevation of the foot end of the bed; Fig. 6 is an enlarged side elevation of the mattress clamp; Fig. 7 is a vertical cross-section of the same taken on the line 77 of Fig. 6.

Referring to the drawings, 1, 1 represent the head end bed pillars formed integral with the top cross-bar 2; and 3. and 4 are cross-bars extending between and secured to said pillars, the cross-bars 3 and 4 having vertical bars 5 extending between and secured to them. The pillars 1, cross-bar 2, and bars 3, 4, and 5 collectively constitute the head end of the bed. A corner upright 6 of angle cross-section is secured on the inside of each pillar 1, the lower end of the upright being flush with the bottom of the pillar which is held oif the floor w by virtue of being mounted on a post 7 by hinges 8 so that the bed may be swung into a closet, not shown. This feature of hanging the bed on hinges so that it may be withdrawn into a closet is well known in the art, and is not described in detail nor claimed. I

Angle iron cross-members 9 and 10 are se- Selial No. 675,001.

cured respectively to the upper and lower ends of the two uprights 6 so that the uprights together with members 9 and 10 constitute an anchor frame for the bed bottom B as will presently appear.

' A cantilever bracket 11 projects from each upright 6, said' bracket comprising a horizontal arm 12 secured to the bracket, and a vertical arm 13 projecting upwardly from the end of the arm 12 to which it is rigidly secured. A horizontal brace bar 14 extends between the arms 13 and has one end secured to each arm about one-third its length from the top. A bearing block 15 is rigidly secured to the upper end of each bracket arm 13 and is turned inwardly so that the hearing 15 is on the inside of said arm.

The entire bed bottom B of which the side rails 16, 16 form a part, is pivotally mounted in the bearings 15 by means of pivot pins 17 17 projecting from plates 18, 18 riveted one into each side rail 16. The plates 18 par tially envelope the side rails 16 and opposite to these plates also partially enveloping the side rails are a second pair of plates 19, 19, one secured to each side rail, by the same rivets '20, 20 that secure plates 18. Each plate 19 is provided with an angle-shaped extension 21 to the upwardly extending leg 22 of which is secured a U-shaped cross-member 23 resting on the side rails 16 in inverted position.

The bed bottom B is provided with end rails 24 and 25. each of which is of angle iron shape and have their ends 24', 25' bent downwardly for permanent connection with the ends 26, 27 of theside rails 16, said ends 26, 27 being flattened for this purpose. A brace 28 extends diagonally from each end of the member 23 to the end rail 24, and a brace 29 extends from near the foot end of each side rail 16 to the end rail 25 for the purpose of stiffening the bottom. 7

When the bed bottom B is swung upwardly on the pivots 17 (to be referred to hereinafter) the mattress M that rests on the fabric indicated by the dotted line 7 must be confined at the head end of the bed to prevent it from jamming between the bed bottom B and head end. For this purpose I provide a head gate 30 pivotally mounted on the head end rail 24 by-hinges 31, 31 and maintained and guided in its various positions by links 32 and 33. The links 32 are pivotally connected to lugs 34, secured to the side edges of the gate 30, and to the upper ends of links 33. The lower ends of links 33 are pivotally connected to lugs 35 projecting downwardly from the bracket arms 12, and the links are guided in their movement by draft pins 36 projecting outwardly from plates 19 through slots 37 in the links. The movement of links and head gate will be described later with the operation of the bed.

To assist the operator in raising the bed,

I provide a plurality of tension springs 38,

each of which has one end secured to the cross-member 10, and the other end to an angle cross-bar 39 secured at its ends to a pair of draft arms 40, 40 pivotally connected to brackets 41, 41 secured in spaced relation to the cross-member 9. The free ends of the draft arms 40 are each connected to the U- shaped cross-member 23 by a link 42 which terminates in eyes 43, 44, the upper eye 43 passing through openings 45, 46 in the member 23, and the lower eye 44 passing throi'igh an opening 47 in the end of draft arm 40.

Referring now to the foot end of the bed 7 comprising pillars 48, 48 connected by an integrally formed cross-bar 49, it will be apparent from the drawings that the foot end' is connected to side rails 16, 16 by a pair of short links 50, 50 and long links 51, 51. The short links 50 are pivotally attached at their inner ends to the side rails a short distance in from the end rail 25, and at their outer ends the links are pivotally attached to the pillars 48 about midway their length. The long links 51 are pivotally attached to the side rails inside the point of attachment of the short links and to the pillars about midway between the floor and the bed bottom when the bed is down. In order to hold the foot end rigid when the bed is down a spring 52 is secured to the upright end 25 of the end rail 25, said spring being adapted to engage a protuberance 53 on the inside wall of pillar 48.

To insure the positive folding in of the footend when the bed is raised it is connected to the head end by a rod or piece of tubing 54. More specifically, the draft arms 40 have extending between them and secured to their ends an angle bar 55 at the center of which are two spaced lugs 56, 56 between which is pivotally secured one end of the rod 54, the other end of said rod having a loop 57 formed on it for enveloping a bar 58 connected atits ends to the long links 51, 51; Thus any movement of the draft arms 40 will be communicated to the links 51 and foot end of the bed through the rod 54.

The operation of my invention is as follows: Referring first to Figure 1 it will be observed that the springs 38 are under tension, and, from the relative positions of draft arms 40 and links 42, there is considerable downward pull on the head end of the bottom 13. Consequently in raising the foot end of the bed to swing it upwardly on the pivots 17, the springs will assist in the operation. As the foot end is raised, and, of course, the head end lowered the head gate will be carried down by the end rail 24. At the same time, it will be observed, each draft pin 36 revolves about pivot 17 in the direction of arrow (t (Fig. 1) and as pin 36 moves along the are indicated by this arrow, it will force the link 33 to oscillate toward the foot end of the bed and pull the link 32 inwardly which in turn draws the head g'ate 30 inwardly and away from the cross-bars 3 and 4 of the head end which otherwise might be fouled by the head gate as it goes down with the end rail 24. Thus as the head end of the bed bottom swings down the head gate automatically moves inwardly to clear the head piece of the bed, the springs 38 assisting in the movement of the bed bottom by drawing down on the draft arms 40, which in turn pull down on the links 42. The free ends of the draft arms swing downwardly along an are I), and, remembering that at the same time the foot end of the bed is moving upwardly. there will be a consequent simultaneous inward movement of the rod 54 due not only to the movement of the arm 40. but also due to the revolution of foot end around its center of rotation. The amount of this movement is equal to the distance the eye 47 is to one side the pivotal center 17 plus the distance it is below this center plus the distance the eye 47 moves downwardly in a vertical plane. The rod pulls the links 51 inwardly with it, which in turn swings the lower end of the pillars 48 inwardly, which causes the entire foot piece of the bed to swing around on the links 51, 51, and 50. 50. until when the bed is fully raised (Fig. 2) the foot piece will be folded flat against the bed bottom B.

In order to hold down the mattress m at the foot end of the bed. apair of clamps are provided, each of which consists in a bar 59 pivotallv mounted between the end rail 25 and rack bar 60 secured in spaced relation to said end rail, there being a pawl 61 mounted on the bar 59 for engagement with the teeth of the rack bar to hold the clamp bar 59 in lowered position. A rod 62 having a horizontal arm 63 is mounted in guides on the bar 59 said arm pressing down on the mattress when the bar 59 is lowered. To release the mattress, the bar 59 is depressed sufficiently to remove the pressure from the pawl 61 when it can be disengaged from the rack teeth permitting the bar to be swung to a vertical position and disengaging the arm 63 from the mattress.

I do not wish to be restricted to the pre cise details of construction herein described, as obviously the invention is suceptible to modification without departing from the spirit of the same.

Having described my invention, I claim: In a folding bed, a head frame, an anchor frame rigidly secured thereto, a bed-bottom pivotally mounted on said anchor frame, a draft frame pivoted to the head frame, connecting means between the draft frame and bed-bottom for swinging said draft frame upon its pivot when the bed-bottom is moved upwardly, means for imposing tension on signature.

WILLIAM J. DUVALL. 

